1> Confirmation Page: Don’t Let Them Leave
2> One More Sale: Do You Want Fries With That?
3> Partnering: Tag-Team For One Last Sale
4> Event: GasPedal CEO Dinner at Internet World

1> Confirmation Page: Don’t Let Them Leave

When people buy something from your web site, they see a page confirming purchase details. Then they usually close the browser. Don’t let these shoppers get away –they just gave you money! On that last page, offer accessories for what they just bought, sign them up for an email newsletter, or offer a special promotion. It doesn’t matter what you do, just do something. You can also put up links to related, non-competing web sites and get paid for those referrals through an affiliate program. When you complete an order from Amazon, the confirmation page asks if you want to recommend the product you just bought to a friend. If you do it, your friend saves 10% on the order, and you get a discount on a future purchase. They also have post-sale links for gift certificates and magazine subscriptions.

THE LESSON: You work hard to make a sale. Don’t just let that customer walk out the door — do whatever you can to get more of their business.

2> One More Sale: Do You Want Fries With That?

McDonalds has been squeezing an extra dollar out of millions of customers for years with that simple question. This push for an additional sale is called “Suggestive Selling.” Online, that means you should be offering additional accessories for each item that a shopper is putting in their shopping cart. They choose a cassette player; you offer batteries and tapes. They choose a printer; you offer toner and paper. Many sophisticated shopping cart programs offer this capability, such as the popular Miva software. If you want to keep it simple, just remember to insert links to
accessories on your web pages. It’s far easier to sell extra items while customers are already shopping than trying to get the shopper back for another purchase.

THE LESSON: If you haven’t started using suggestive selling, you’re letting sales slip through your fingers. Your customers are going to buy those extra items from someone else if you forget to remind them.

MORE INFO: http://www.miva.com

3> Partnering: Tag-Team For One Last Sale

What if you could sell your products on another company’s web site? When you buy a DVD player, you’re probably in the market for a few new DVDs too. Click2Boost offers technology that lets Columbia House sell DVDs right on Sony’s site. When a shopper completes a purchase at Sony, an offer from Colombia to join the DVD club appears on the final confirmation page. If the shopper agrees, his or her name, address, and payment information is securely and automatically transferred right to Columbia House. The shopper gets the convenience of a related purchase without filling out forms. Columbia House gets a new sale. Sony gets a share of the revenue. This sort of tech-assisted strategic partnership is web commerce at its best.

THE LESSON: Use innovative partnerships to find new customers when they are ready to buy. Internet marketing is more than just banner ads.

MORE INFO: http://www.click2boost.com

4> Event: GasPedal CEO Dinner at Internet World

Where are all the CEOs going to be at Internet World? Hundreds of CEOs have done some of their best deals at GasPedal’s private dinners. Why not take a break with a handpicked group of your fellow CEOs for this no-hassle, no speeches, kick-back-and-relax schmoozefest. Join us as we refresh, recharge, and continue to rally for a strong recovery. Let’s get together and deal our way to success. We guarantee good food and good company — new friends and folks you haven’t seen in ages.

“As always these events bring together some of the most interesting and productive groups of people in one place. I rarely get a chance to get out to just meet interesting people, but your events get me out of the office every time.” — Stephen Messer, CEO, Linkshare

I taught word of mouth marketing at Northwestern University and internet entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of Business. I’m a serial entrepreneur who founded and advises startups and nonprofits. And I’m a rabid purist on the topic of marketing ethics.

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